Rebuilding and Surviving
by Wannabanauthor
Summary: After Mount Weather, everyone is trying to put their lives back together. Clarke finds herself playing diplomat with Lexa, Lincoln and Octavia navigate the calm for the first time during their relationship, Marcus and Abby are trying to run the camp while dealing with their growing feelings, and Miller and Monty try to adjust to a normal life. Clexa, Linctavia, Kabby, and Minty.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello all! I've been on a The 100 Fanfiction kick lately, and I decided to attempt a multi-chaptered fic for my favorite pairings on that show. Most of these theories were given to me by a good friend on Tumblr. Her username is electricbluebutterflies, and you should follow her because she's awesome. Also my username on Tumblr is the same as it is here, so add me!

Enjoy the fic since the show is on hiatus :(

* * *

Turning her back on Camp Jaha, Clarke strode down the path to the forest. With every step she took, her heart felt lighter. She had gotten them out alive, and that was all that mattered. Or that's what she tried to tell herself.

As much as she wanted to be around her friends again, she just couldn't handle it. The things she did to get them there could never be forgiven. The betrayed and horrified look on Jasper's face said it all. She would have to bear this alone.

Only armed with a gun and no supplies, she knew where she had to go. There was no reason to fear the forests anymore. The Grounders had retreated back to their village, and as far as they knew their deal with Mount Weather was still on.

For once, she cherished the silence of the forest. There was no fear of being speared in the abdomen or burned alive by acid fog. The smell of grass helped her forget her worries as she took her time strolling through the forest. She even made a game out of dodging tree roots.

Clarke felt oddly at peace. For the first time in a year, she was safe. From humans at least. There was still the wildlife to consider.

Luckily, she had her gun. If she had to defend herself, she hoped that the noise would scare off any other predators nearby. Her trek to dropship was uneventful, and she was thankful for that. She couldn't bear to deal with anything else today.

Scrounging around the camp for supplies, she averted her eyes from the burnt skeletons. Remembering the Grounders she slaughtered in the name of survival only added to the guilt that she was trying to avoid. It had once been seen as a smart move, but now she knew it was no different than Mount Weather. They all had been people with loved ones and family members, just like those at the mountain. Finn certainly hadn't helped things by adding eighteen more lives to their dead.

While the former camp had mostly been picked clean, there were a few overlooked supplies leftover. She found a few crudely made water bottles and knives. After searching thoroughly for an hour, she had a light pack that would last her for a few days. There was no food left of course, but she knew which berries and nuts she could eat.

On her way out of camp, she remembered the jobi nuts. Laughing to herself, she decided to pick some just in case she needed something to light her mood.

Her knife helped her dig up the edible nuts and berries for her trip. They wouldn't be that filling without meat, but they would have to do for now. Her stomach was already gnawing at her. She ate a few as she picked them, hoping to slate her hunger. Rabbit jerky would preferable to this, but she had no choice at the moment.

Before the afternoon, she knew where she had to go. She would have a few days of freedom before Camp Jaha sent people there to scrounge up supplies.

It was an eight hour walk, but she hoped to make it in six or seven. She smirked as she thought about the man she had sent on the same mission. Irony was a bitch.

With enough water and food for the journey, she set off for Mount Weather. She expected to get there before nightfall.

* * *

While both of them desperately needed to rest, Octavia and Lincoln decided to wash up not long after returning to Camp Jaha. Hands still clasped together, Octavia notified Bellamy before they set out.

She let Lincoln lead since he knew the area better than she did. Even though their hands were still joined, they said very little to each other. The decisions they made in the past day still weighed heavily on their minds.

Octavia did not regret her decision to stay loyal to her brother, even if it cost her Indra. The older woman that had trained her and turned her into a warrior now viewed her as a traitor. At least it was a step up from being the white she-devil that led Lincoln astray. She smiled as she remembered that Indra had drunkenly confessed that to her.

Lincoln had chosen her as well. He had always chosen her. She admired him more than he could ever know. He stuck to his morals, even if it cost him everything. Well, not everything. She was still here, but sometimes she wondered if that would be enough.

"We're here" his deep voice announced as they came upon a lake. Lincoln began to disrobe, but Octavia looked at the water suspiciously.

"It's safe, Octavia. You won't be attacked here," Lincoln said as he pulled his shirt off. She spared a glance in his direction and let her eyes linger on his well-muscled back.

Sighing, Octavia started to take off her Grounder gear. There were so many pieces to it, she was surprised that Lincoln managed to take his off so quickly. When she was halfway done, she felt large hands cover her own.

"Let me help," he offered, and she nodded without looking at him. She saw his pile of clothing and knew that he must be naked behind her. The process went faster with his help, and soon they were wading into the water.

While Lincoln went for a swim, Octavia sat on the shore and took out her braids. She wasn't a Grounder anymore, even though she never really had been. With every braid she unraveled, it felt like a piece of her was dying. Memories that went along with braids were going to be the past. No more bickering with Caris or getting her ass kicked by Indra. Her days as a Second were officially over.

Once she was done, she scrubbed the war paint off her face. It wasn't her anymore. Neither a Sky person nor a Grounder, she was just Octavia.

Glancing out at the water, she watched as Lincoln glided through the water. She bit her lower lip, as his muscles shined in the light. Oh how she loved his strength. Flashbacks from their stolen nights together filled her mind, and she started wading in the water to join him. He had taught her to swim within the first week of knowing each other.

Once she got into the deeper water, he disappeared. She whirled around looking for him, but then felt arms wrap around her from behind.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Better if we had soap, but this will have to do." She turned her head to kiss him, and he met her halfway.

"Octavia…" his chest rumbling as he spoke. Octavia turned to face him with her eyes wet.

"Everything is all screwed up, Lincoln. They were all murdered for us, including Maya. After everything Jasper did for me, I couldn't save her," she confessed.

She wanted to talk to Jasper, to let him know that she understood what he felt. What she and Lincoln had been through…it had been hell, but they survived it. Maya wasn't so fortunate. She just wished that she could protect him from the pain like her brother tried with her.

Lincoln drew her closer and kissed her forehead. "There was nothing you could do. It wasn't your decision to pull the lever."

"All those children and innocent people, Lincoln. None of them deserved that. If she had just waited!"

Lincoln held her cheeks in his hands and wiped away her tears with his thumb. "Octavia. It was a split second decision Clarke made. Her people over the mountain. I've made the same decision for you several times, and I've never regretted it."

She wanted to argue with him, but the pleading look in his eyes nearly destroyed her. He understands Clarke, she realizes. He'd been put in similar situations, and he made sacrifices so that she could live. She'd done the same for him.

"It wouldn't have happened if Lexa hadn't betrayed us," she finally conceded, but the haunted look didn't leave her lover's eyes.

"It's complicated being a leader, Octavia. I may have disagreed with Lexa, Indra, and Anya's actions, but I've understood them. Even Clarke. They've all made heavy decisions, and it will stay with them."

Like always, he is the voice of reason. There's a small part of her that knows the burdens leaders carry, but since she could have easily been a victim of that missile, she can't forgive them.

"They knew about the missile."

"I know."

Octavia's first instinct is to pull away, but Lincoln held her tightly. So she looked him in the eye instead.

"Lincoln?"

"Like I said, heavy decisions. We have the luxury of not having those deaths on our hands, they don't. While I don't know that warning everybody would have put your brother in danger, I can't rule it out. They took a chance, and it worked in their favor."

"I hate this. Everyone has been making decisions about my life since I was born. My mom made the decision to have me. My brother made the decision to let me go to that stupid dance. Jaha took my mother from me and locked me up. Then those bastards on the council sent me down here. You are the only decision that I have made, Lincoln."

"I know," he sighed. "I understand."

He more than understood. His family had forced to him to be a warrior from a very young age. Then duty compelled him to continue even after his parents died. Duty to his friend Anya. Duty to his mentor Indra. His life consisted of people making choices for him, but Octavia was a choice he made. He saved her from his people, and he was forever proud of that.

Holding her in his arms again made him indescribably happy. After being separated so many times, he was happy to be near her again. To feel her skin against his, and to look into her hazel eyes as if she was the sun to his earth.

Octavia noticed the exact moment where his adoring look turned heated. She lightly stroked his chest with her hands, loving the feel of his muscled abdomen. She should thank the gods every day for sending her a man with the kindness of lover but the hardness of a warrior.

"Make love to me, Lincoln," she whispered as she kissed him again. She needed something to distract her from all this pain. She needed something pleasant after the hellish month they had.

His hands threaded through her hair and massaged her scalp, making her moan. She could feel his erection pressing into her thigh.

"After we wash up," he answered.

* * *

They set Abby down on a hospital bed in Medical, but she didn't want to sit still. Kane pushed her back down when she tried to rise out of the bed.

"I have to go to my daughter. I need to see if she's okay," Abby protested, but the regretful look on Kane's face made her stop.

"Abby, I need to tell you something." His head is hung low, and he shook his head.

"Where's my daughter?" Abby asked, her voice a whisper.

"Gone. Bellamy said that she couldn't bear to be here after what she did."

Tears rolled down Abby's cheeks, and Kane held her as sobs wracked her body.

"Clarke is going to be fine, Abby. She's strong. The Grounders have retreated for now, so she'll be fine," he whispered into her hair. He wished there was more he could do to comfort her. This strong woman before him had made some tough decisions of her own, but seeing her like this broke his heart.

"Who's going to protect her from herself? I've been down that road, Kane, and it is not easy."

Kane holds her head in his hands and kissed her forehead. "She's your daughter, Abby. She'll get through this."

Abby looked him in the eye. "I hope you're right." Kane let go of her.

"Now sleep. It's been a long week. I'll be here when you wake up."

He watched as she held his hand while drifting off to sleep. While there were duties he needed to tend to, he would keep his promise. His hand stayed in hers until she woke up later.

* * *

By the time everyone got settled into the camp, it was night time. Monty tried to talk to Jasper, but his friend isn't having it. Jasper wasn't doing so well, but there was nothing Monty could do. He couldn't take back Maya's death, no matter how much he wanted to.

So he sought out Miller was with the other survivors huddled near the fire. He wrapped himself up in his sweater and sat next to his thief friend. After sitting in silence, Miller spoke first.

"How's Jasper?"

"Heartbroken. How's your dad?" Monty countered, and Miller smiled.

"Happy to see me again. I practically had to sneak away from him because he didn't want me to leave his sight. I know he cares, but it was too much."

Monty laughed for the first time in what seems like days. "It's been awhile since he's seen you. He missed you." From what Monty could tell, his parents didn't make it when the Ark came to Earth. He would mourn them, but he was too tired to even think about it.

"I get that, but it's weird you know? We've been on our own for months now, and now the adults want their authority back. I say screw them."

Monty clapped Miller on the back. "That's the spirit. Now go tell your dad that."

Miller looked at him like he was crazy. "And get my ass whooped? Are you out of your damned mind? I may be a thief, but I am not crazy."

"I wish we were back at the dropship," Monty admitted. "Before we had to deal with the Grounders, it was peaceful there. At least, our version of peaceful."

"I want to go back too. While I'm glad to have a new place to call home, I feel like I'll suffocate here," Miller said and surveyed the camp. "Everybody is too happy here. It's like they don't understand the hell we went through just to survive out here."

Monty nodded. "But don't forget, they went through hell too. The culling, losing 95% of the population. That has to be hard on them too. They're trying to survive, same as us. We're not that different."

Miller sighed and stared into the fire. "Yeah, well it sure feels different."

Monty looked at him for a bit before placing his on Miller's back comfortingly. "We survived Mount Weather. We can survive domesticity."

Miller studied him for a bit before smiling. "I guess so." He leaned a bit into Monty's touch and turned his eyes back to the fire.

It had been a long journey for all of them, but finally they had a moment's peace.

* * *

A/N: I have several chapters written already, so look out for updates. I feel like this fic will be a long one.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Chapter 2 is here a bit early. You can thank my friend, electricbluebutterflies, for that.

* * *

Clarke only stayed at Mount Weather for three days. In those few days, she managed to bury the children on the mountain and some of the adults. She left the heavier people where they were and hoped that her mother's people would take care of it.

While she wasn't busy burying the dead, she was gathering supplies for a long-term trip. She had no longer had a home, so she planned to stay on the move until she found a place to settle. Maybe she would do like Lincoln and find a nice cozy cave to live in.

There were plenty of food stores and supplies for her, so she had to pick only the essentials to take with her. Unperishable foods, light weapons, medical and survival supplies all made the cut.

This time her pack was a black backpack that she picked from the armory. It was just the right weight for long-term travel, and it was lined with Kevlar for protection. While, she briefly considered a smaller one, the thought of using one of the children's was just too much for her to handle.

Her sleep was fitful every single night she spent in that haunted place. With the lingering stench of death in the bunker, her guilt gnawed at her every waking moment. She felt no reprieve in sleep. The faces of the dead swarmed her vision until she cried out in exasperation. There was no one there to hear her, so she felt safe letting it out.

While her conscious haunted her, it wasn't what made her leave the mountain. She saw that her mother had finally sent a group of soldiers and civilians towards the mountain, and she didn't want to be there when they arrived.

Since she had more than enough of a head start, she lingered for a few moments while watching the screens. Switching from camera views, she swore she saw a Grounder near the mountain. Once she zoomed in, her suspicions were confirmed. A scout sent by Lexa, she was sure of it.

Swearing under her breath, Clarke contemplated what to do. The Grounders were supposed to stay away. That had been part of their agreement with Cage.

The mere mention of that bastard brought a snarl to her face. When Lincoln told her of his fate, she almost wanted to hug him. At least Cage's death had been painful like his victims.

Thinking back to her Grounder problem, her only choice was not one she liked. It might get her killed, but she couldn't let the Grounders have the advantage over her people. The dark part of her wished that the mountain still had the acid fog. It had been a formidable defense against the Grounders for decades, and it could work again.

Shaking her head, she decided to grab a few books for her altered journey. By the time she made it to her destination, the people at Jaha should have the mountain secured.

After saying her farewells to the dead, Clarke left the mountain behind for good. She had done what she could for them, and now she had to do the same for the living. Even though she wasn't a part of Camp Jaha anymore, she'd be damned if she let the mountain's sacrifices be in vain.

* * *

Lincoln felt himself waking with the sunrise. He stretched his arms carefully, making sure not to waking the sleeping woman next to him. As soon as he tried to move away from her, her hand curled on top of his naked chest.

"A few more minutes," Octavia mumbled and nuzzled against his side. Her small breasts were pressing against the side of his rib cage, and he contemplated staying in bed for a moment.

He leaned down to press a kiss to her lips, but at the last moment decided to tickle her. She wasn't getting out of training this morning.

Her shrieks pierced the air as she tried to fend him off. He only ceased when she was wide awake with her chest heaving in exertion. Her cute little glare only made his smile wider. Gods, he loved her.

"Lincoln," she growled, but he intercepted her with a kiss. She immediately moaned and moved to straddle his lap. His hands went to her breasts and squeezed lightly.

With a hiss, she jerked away from him and removed his hands. "Good morning, Lincoln," she mumbled while massaging her sore breasts.

His eyes watched her in concern. "Sorry. Is it almost time for you to bleed again?"

"It always sounds weird when you say it like that, but yes. Should be next week," she leaned forward for another kiss, and he met her halfway. Before they could really get into it, Lincoln pulled away and moved her off his lap.

"Come on," he said as he pulled his pants on. "Time to train."

Octavia begrudgingly got dressed as well and followed him out of the tent. The cool morning air made her shiver, but she would be warm soon enough.

Others in the camp were starting to wake up as well, and she and Lincoln waved to them as they made their way to the exit.

They started off with a light jog, but Octavia's muscles were still achy and fatigued from the battle. Lincoln was several paces ahead of her, and she admired his ability to take hit after hit and still go strong. His stamina had been one of the things that had attracted her in the first place.

Octavia managed to continue to her moderate pace for a mile, but then it hits her. First her legs cramped up, so she had to stop to massage them. Before she could even call out to Lincoln, a wave of dizziness came over her.

"Lincoln!" she cried out before kneeling to the ground and vomiting up her dinner from last night.

Within seconds, he's at her side and holding her hair. As she recovered, she felt his hand press against her forehead.

"You're really warm. You might be sick," he said and picked her up. Octavia was too out of it to protest.

"Must have been that swim from the other day," she mumbled and buried her face in his neck and wrapped her arms around him. He was so warm and comfy. She'd rather spend the rest of her day cuddling with him in their tent. They could exercise tomorrow.

"I told you not to let your hair air dry," he scorned on the way back. "I guess the run didn't help matters either."

"Exercise also makes me sick this close to my period."

"Or it could be that."

Octavia fell asleep on the way back, leaving Lincoln alone with his thoughts.

Simple and quiet domesticity is all he ever wanted with Octavia, and now it was looking like a reality. The people in Camp Jaha were courteous towards him, but he could feel it. When they looked at him, they saw a Grounder. Only the remaining of the 100 saw him as one of their own.

Seeing as he wasn't one of them, it shouldn't have bothered him. Octavia was back at home with her people, but she didn't really consider them hers either. He knew that they both longed for their quiet moments of their little cave, where they had shut the rest of the world out.

But now that Bellamy was back, he couldn't even think of asking Octavia to leave with him. Especially with Clarke gone, she would never consider leaving her brother alone.

While he and Bellamy had never been much on good terms, he could see the loss in the young man's eyes. Clarke had been Bellamy's co-leader and dear friend. He remembered the similar feeling when Octavia had once left to him to go fight with her people.

He knew immediately that he couldn't let her die, but Bellamy was different. Bellamy had a responsibility to the rest of the 100 and couldn't leave them to go after Clarke.

As Octavia slept off her illness in their tent, Lincoln sat by the fire pit outside. His gaze was trained on Abby and Bellamy talking animatedly. The older women was in near tears, and Bellamy's head hung low. Finally, Bellamy nodded and walked away.

He watched as Abby turned to Kane and hugged him. He smirked at the smitten look on Kane's face. Then Abby pulled away without looking at Kane and strode past him into Medical.

Kane glanced back at her before moving onto his own daily duties. Footsteps too heavy to be Octavia's sounded behind him.

"Never got rid of the people watching habit, hmm?" Bellamy's voice called out.

"A warrior always needs to be aware of what's going on around them," Lincoln replied and started a fire. Octavia would probably wake soon and be ravenous.

"How's O doing? I heard she was sick this morning," Bellamy nodded towards the tent Lincoln shared with her.

"Napping. Probably too much exertion. I have some tea ready for her for when she wakes."

Bellamy sat down across from Lincoln and glanced over at the tent.

"She'll be fine," Lincoln assured him. Nothing could keep her down for long.

"That's actually not the reason I came over here."

Lincoln nodded. He already had a sneaking suspicion what Bellamy was going to request.

"I was wondering if you could find Clarke. You don't have to bring her back. I just want to make sure that she's safe. We don't know exactly where we stand with the Grounders yet, and I don't want her taking a spear to the abdomen."

Lincoln's first instinct was to say yes. He liked Clarke and respected her. She showed a compassion that not many leaders had, but she was ready to make the tough choices if need be. It was a rare combination in any one person.

But now he had Octavia to think about. After last time, she definitely wouldn't let him go alone. She also would protest, seeing as Clarke was the object of her rage at the moment.

The more he thought on it though, the more inclined he was to do it. He needed time away from this camp, and its people. And so did Octavia. He also didn't want Clarke to die, but he knew that she could take care of herself.

"I'll do it," Lincoln said, and relief immediately washed over Bellamy's face.

"Don't I get a say?"

Lincoln sighed. Octavia was awake.

"O, please-"

"Save it, Bell. She made her decision. Let her live with it." Octavia sat down next to Lincoln, her eyes cold and hard.

Bellamy looked to Lincoln who nodded.

"Octavia…"

She hated when he used that voice. That was the voice he used when he needed her to calm down and look at things objectively. With a stubborn set in her jaw, she looked into his brown eyes.

"She saved my life. She brought me back to you," was all he said. Octavia chewed her bottom lip while thinking.

He was right, and she fucking hated that he was right about this. As much as she loved being a warrior, the solitude they had for the past few days had been heavenly.

"Fine," she spat and turned to Bellamy. "If he goes, I go."

There was no shock in Bellamy's eyes. He already knew that they faced everything together, and this was no exception.

"Stay safe, O. Please come back. I couldn't bear to lose you, either."

Bellamy's voice barely registers in her ears as her eyes turn back to Lincoln who's staring intensely at the fire. They'll talk about this later.

"We want to come with you," Monty said as he and Miller walked up to them.

"We can't stand being in this camp right now. Everybody treats us as if they didn't send us down here to die. I need a break from everything," Miller added.

"For fuck's sake," Octavia groaned, but Lincoln chuckled. He grabbed her hand and gave it a light squeeze.

"The more the merrier, right?" Octavia sighed.

"I wouldn't be asking this of any of you if it wasn't important," Bellamy reassured. "Thank you all for going." He stood up and left them.

"So when do we leave?" Monty asked, directing his question at Lincoln.

"She's already had a three day start, so that narrows it down," he replied. "It won't matter if we leave tomorrow or today. She doesn't know these woods as well as I do, so we can track her pretty easily."

"But what if she doesn't want to be found?" Octavia asked. "I mean, she left for a reason."

"Then we respect her wishes."

* * *

A/N: Chapter 3 is written but still needs to be edited. I am also doing Octavia Week on Tumblr, so there might not be any updates until that's over. Wish me luck!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for the delay! I got busy writing a whole bunch of prompts on Tumblr. People really love their Linctavia fics. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

 _Later that day_

"You sent them after her? Abby, I know you miss Clarke-"

Abby whirled on him, anger flashing in her eyes. "No! You don't know! She is my daughter, and I am allowed to worry about her. She left us without telling us or even saying goodbye. She had no pack, only a gun!"

Kane gently placed a hand on her shoulder. He knew she was hurting over Clarke's departure, and he wished he could soothe her pain. But sending the kids to go after her, simply wasn't a good idea. They had been through so much. They needed a break.

"Abby," he said softly. "Clarke is strong. She can take care of herself, but these kids need a rest. They shouldn't be out looking for her. We have soldiers that can do that."

Abby shook her head and pulled away from him. Her legs still ached every time she moved, but she wouldn't let him see that. He already had been at her side every waking moment since they came back from the mountain. She needed space.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but the children feel like they're being stifled. I gave them a way out. They're happy to see their families again, but they won't ever forget that we were the ones that sent them down here. We risked their lives for our own."

She took a seat and refrained from massaging her sore thighs. "I just got my daughter back and lost her again. I need to make sure she's okay. Lincoln explicitly told me that they would leave her be if she requested it. They'll all be okay."

Kane sighed and sat next to her. He wanted to reach out for her, but her tired look stopped him. This wasn't the time, so he folded his hands in his lap.

* * *

"Abby. I'm sure Clarke's fine. She just has things she needs to sort out before she returns. She's safe for the time being. The Grounders shouldn't even be anywhere in the vicinity."

"Have our soldiers at the mountain reported anything yet?"

Kane shook his head. "They haven't even reached it yet. They'll radio us once they get there and again once they sweep the place."

"Okay," Abby said and stood up, wincing slightly. "I have work to do." She pushed past him and left the room.

Kane was left looking at her as she left. He wanted to bring peace to her mind, but until they knew where Clarke was, they were stuck.

"Are you sure you guys are okay going back to the mountain with us? You can stay behind if it gets too much for you?" Octavia said as they hiked their way back to the hellish place.

An eight hour walk uphill was not her ideal break, but it would have to do. She was reunited with her love, and most of her friends were safe again. She tried not to think about the ones who didn't make it. There was nothing she could do about it, so she shouldn't waste the mental energy.

Laughing to herself, she realized that she was still following Indra's teachings. She missed her former teacher.

She heard Lincoln's sigh beside her, and an apology was on the tip of her tongue. She understood their need to be busy, but damn it, she wanted to be alone with Lincoln. After his near death experience and relapse, they needed it.

"We're fine, Octavia," Monty said while making sure he kept up with Miller's pace. The former thief was taller and stronger, so he moved faster.

"Yeah, we're fine, O. Anything is better than dealing with all those haunted faces. We did what we could for the rest of the 100, but not all of us made it." Miller replied. He looked tired and worn out, but they all did. What happened in that mountain seemed to be weighing them all down.

"Yeah? Well, let us know if it gets too much for you. We can handle this if you two want to go back," Octavia said and jogged to catch up to Lincoln.

Monty squinted at the way she smiled when she and Lincoln linked hands. They were so cute and normal that it almost bugged him. He should have been happy. At least someone in their group was finding the small joys in their situation.

"Why do I feel like we're the third and fourth wheels?" he asked Miller, and dark-skinned teenager shrugged while looking at the happy couple ahead of them.

"Because we are. From what I heard, they were separated quite a few times while we were held captive. Maybe this was supposed to the weird version of their honeymoon," Miller replied.

Sure enough, the two looked happier than a few days ago. Monty knew they had been through hell together, and this was their moment of peace.

"Just a hint, if they start making eyes at each other, just quietly excuse yourself, and I'll follow a minute later," Miller added with a shudder. He really did not want to picture them getting it on.

"Why?"

"Look at them, and you'll see."

Monty noticed that they weren't too lovey-dovey, but they had spent a lot of time in their shared tent over the past few days. Making up for lost time, he guessed.

"Let's come up with a code word. How about we go look for more wood for the fire?" Monty suggested.

Miller snorted rather loudly at the double meaning. "It's not exactly subtle, but I guess it'll work."

Monty shook his head and shoved Miller. "For a criminal, you're not very mature."

Miller shoved him back and puffed up his chest. "I'll have you know. I am very mature it counts."

He added a wink and took delight in seeing Monty's face redden.

"If you two are done flirting, we have a mission to complete," Octavia's voice carried down the mountain. Both teens glared at her, and they saw Lincoln tap her on the shoulder.

"Octavia…" Lincoln's deep voice groaned.

"Yes, Lincoln?"

"Stop teasing them," he said and turned away. They let the boys tag behind them a few several hundred feet.

"I'd rather not have them become targets because they're so far away from us," she responded and followed him. He was silent once more. She watched him as he went into warrior mode, tracking Clarke's footprints.

After another hour of following the tracks, he stopped so suddenly that she almost ran into him.

"Lincoln, what is it?" she said looking around.

"Abby sent soldiers to the mountain ahead of us, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

Lincoln bent down and inspected the tracks. "She's not at the mountain. She was, but she's not there anymore."

Octavia squatted next to him and looked at the ground. She hadn't learned to track as well as him, but she could make it out the difference in Clarke and the soldiers' trail.

"How do you know that?"

"Because my people have recently been here," he said. Their tracks weren't on the ground, but there were signs of their recent presence.

"But the peace agreement," Octavia protested. Would they really risk annihilation over curiosity? It didn't seem like it.

"No. They didn't get too close, but close enough that their presence might have been picked up. Clarke would have seen them and the soldiers, so she left. I bet we will find her tracks a mile west from here," he said and stood up.

Fifteen minutes later, and Lincoln was right. They spotted her tracks leaving the bunker.

"Where could she have gone?" Monty asked. There was nowhere else for her to find safety in this area.

Lincoln sighed and rubbed at his eyes. "She went to my village. That's where Lexa is."

Octavia nearly growled at the Commander's name. "Are you serious? What a bitch."

Lincoln's eyes narrowed. "Octavia!"

"No, Lincoln! She left them there to die!" she said pointing at Monty and Miller. "And Clarke's first thought is to go after her? Fuck her, and fuck Lexa. I'm going home."

He let her walk away. She needed to cool down before he even thought of approaching her.

Miller walked up to Lincoln. "What do we do now? We can't follow her over there." As much as he wanted to find Clarke, he wasn't risking his newly liberated life on a suicide mission.

"Miller! Clarke gave up a lot to free us!" Monty protested.

Lincoln closed his eyes and counted to ten. This was not how he planned this trip going, but he wasn't surprised. Clarke was haunted, like he was. The sins of her actions were weighing her down, and she was going to make it right or die trying.

He felt like he owed her. She saved his life and Octavia's, but he couldn't follow her there. It would be certain death for all of them. She was going to have to fight this battle on her own.

Octavia was pacing a little down from where they were. The mountain had affected her too. He understood her anger and frustration, but she was also young. She hadn't had to make the tough decisions like he, Clarke, Anya, and Lexa had made throughout their lifetimes. But she would learn, and he hoped like hell that she didn't have to suffer through them like they all had.

Every time she insulted Lexa and Clarke, he could see Monty's guilt surface. Monty was the one that supplied them with the radiation. He gave them that option, but it had been Bellamy and Clarke who decided to pull the lever.

As much as he hated the outcome, nobody won this war. His people abandoned their allies, the Sky People wiped out the mountain, and the mountain people were gone. It was a war of survival and only the most brutal won.

It would be hard to shed the effects this mountain had on all of them, but he and Octavia would work through it together.

After seeing her posture relax, he joined her.

She looked at him with sympathetic eyes. "Lincoln, we can't-"

"I know. We won't. Let's go home," he offered. It was the only thing they could do.

"So we're just going to let Clarke give herself up to the Grounders?" Monty overheard them, and he looked outraged.

"Miller," Monty said and put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "We can't take them on. Not yet anyway. Clarke left long ago, and we can't intercept her. Isn't that right, Lincoln?"

The tall man nodded. "We can't go to my village, but we can make sure that's where she's headed, if it puts your mind at ease."

Miller nodded, but Lincoln could feel Octavia stiffen beside him.

"We'd have to be careful," she added. "They would have guards posted to prevent retaliation. Atleast, that's would I do."

"So it's settled. Let's go see if Clarke went to go be a martyr," Monty said.

* * *

Clarke approached the village entrance with her hands up. The gun was tucked into the back of her waist band. The archers should have shot her on sight, but they didn't. Instead, they waited and let her walk all the way up the gate.

By the time she reached the entrance, Indra was waiting for her with a scowl on her face.

"You made a foolish mistake coming back here," the dark woman said. Clarke resisted the urge to take a swing at her. This woman would have killed her if she had the chance.

"I need to talk to Lexa. It's about Mount Weather," Clarke replied, her voice even. Her eyes were hard, and her former tears wiped away. It was time to go back into leader mode.

"We don't make deals with your kind anymore," Indra scoffed. Her dominant hand rested on her sword.

Clarke smiled. "Oh, but you will. Now that we have control over the mountain, you might want to be nice to us."

Indra laughed. "We owe you nothing, Sky Girl. You still owe us seventeen deaths."

Clarke kept her gaze strong. She wouldn't think about Finn. She couldn't. He had caused so much chaos that she had been left behind to fix.

"How about the bodies of the men who experimented and tortured your people? They died slowly and painfully," Clarke managed to say without her voice trembling.

Indra stared at her for a moment, and Clarke swore she saw admiration on the woman's face for half a second.

"Lexa's been expecting you. Come this way," Indra finally said and turned her back.

Clarke blinked in surprise. After everything, Lexa expected her to show up. After that woman left her and her people to die, fury burned behind Clarke's eyes.

The blonde swallowed her pride and followed Indra into the village. There would be plenty of time for anger later.

* * *

A/N: Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up sooner! I wish FF would let us schedule our updates.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I've been dealing with a lot of personal stuff, and a surprisingly busy schedule for summer. There's not much Minty in this chapter, but trust me, it's worth the wait. Enjoy and thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! It means a lot to me!

* * *

Lexa wasn't on her throne when Clarke entered the commander's tent. As usual, Indra stood in the corner, watching over her _heda_. Look as stone faced and unforgiving as usual, Clarke admired the woman's dedication to her people. She even left Octavia behind at Lexa's orders but she also let Lincoln go. She suspected that Indra was more complex than the persona she gave off.

Her eyes drifted to Lexa, the woman who had left her people to be slaughtered by the mountain. In her heart, she knew that it hadn't been that simple, but her head was angry and her heart was hurt. This was no time for pleasantries or what could have been. They both made decisions and sacrifices for their people that would haunt them forever.

Lexa was in her casual clothes and studying the war map on her table. Her left hand flipped and twirled her trusty dagger. From a distance, she looked her normal regal self. But as Clarke approached her, she saw the worn look on her face and the tension throughout her entire body. Neither one of them had left the mountain unscathed.

Clarke crossed her arms and waited to be spoken to. It didn't take long for Lexa to sigh and look up at her with her light blue eyes. Blue eyes that slightly dilated when they fixated on Clarke.

"Why did you come here, Clarke? Our alliance is broken, and anyone could have picked you as a target," Lexa asked. Her voice was weary too. Clarke knew the commander was vulnerable because she would never let anyone outside see her like this. It also tipped her off that there might be other things going on to exacerbate the situation. Lexa was not usually like this.

"To tell you to stay away from the Mountain and my people. I already have soldiers up there who are in control of the mountain. With Raven and Wick, it wouldn't take much to get the acid fog system going again." Clarke hardened heart against the woman who betrayed her. The woman who left her people to be tortured to death at the hands of Cage. She had let guard down once, but now it was time to emulate the woman who once told her that love was weakness.

Lexa chuckled. "I know you too well, Clarke." She fully faced her now. "That's a bluff. The acid fog is gone for good. Bellamy blew it up. You don't have the heart or power to wipe my people out. You have no control of the mountain." There was no bitterness to her tone. Just a simple statement.

"Is that what your scouts told you? They were gone by the time my people showed up, so their information is no longer reliable," Clarke said and took a step towards her, letting her anger show in her eyes.

She could see Indra's hand go to her sword out of the corner of her eye, but Lexa shook her head at the dark-skinned woman.

"Then tell me, Clarke. How did you win an impossible war?"

"I flooded the mountain with radiation. I watched every single one of the die, and then I got my people out. There were little kids in there and people sympathetic to our cause. Now, they lay dead in the mountain because you betrayed us." Clarke was tempted to back her into the table again, to make the commander feel small again, but she didn't have the energy. Too much had happened for her to draw joy from it.

"And did it feel good? Did you like condemning innocent people to die to save your people further pain?" Lexa asked. Again, it was not a mocking tone. Her voice almost wavered with her eyes gleaming sadly.

"No, it didn't," Clarke gritted out and shoved Lexa away from her. She remember all of Lexa's little lessons of being leader. Having to make hard decisions for the sake of her people. Telling her people to go die for her in the name of war. She finally understood where the commander was coming from, and she fucking hated it.

"Well, now you know how I felt every waking moment of this war. You said life should be more about surviving. We didn't have that luxury!" Lexa shouted back. She cleared her throat and averted her gaze, probably chastising herself for losing control over her emotions.

For the first time, Clarke understood. Bonded by the trauma of leadership that was forced upon them, she finally understood. Lexa cared. She really fucking did, but there was no room for emotion when everybody's lives depended on you. That didn't stop her from hating Lexa for forcing her hand. The people on the mountain would have lived if Lexa hadn't abandoned them.

"Commander." Indra's voice broke through the tension.

Lexa spared a glance in her direction. "I would like some privacy, Indra," she said in Trigedasleng.

The woman nodded, but paused when she heard Clarke's voice.

"Lincoln and Octavia made it out alive. Octavia even took out two of the mountain men within seconds."

Indra nodded and then left. Clarke honestly couldn't tell if the woman even cared.

Clarke focused her attention back on Lexa, who now had her back to her. She watched the woman take a swig out of something from a cup. Her dagger now lay on a map, and Clarke snatched it up.

When Lexa turned around, the dagger was at her throat. Instead of fear in her eyes, they seemed to be happy.

"So you finally found it," Lexa whispered. "The courage to do what's right for your people, even if it hurts you."

"Killing you wouldn't hurt me. Love is weakness, remember?"

Lexa smiled and briefly glanced down at Clarke's lips, obviously remembering their kiss not too long ago. Clarke makes the mistake of looking down as well, and Lexa took advantage of that.

Clarke is spun around, and her head is slammed against the table. Her arm is twisted behind her back, and the dagger is with the rightful owner.

"Indra," Lexa yelled out. The warrior reappears instantly.

"Send a few scouts to the mountain to see if her story is true. Until then, lock her up. She can't be trusted until we know she's telling the truth."

Clarke grunts angrily, but she can't fight back. Lexa is much stronger than her, and Clarke doesn't even really know how to fight. Indra's warriors grab her and drag her out of the tent.

* * *

Lincoln, Octavia, Miller, and Monty followed Clarke's tracks, and it looked like she did head to his village. They came across the statue that was the point of no return, and Octavia had to turn her back to it.

Unpleasant memories came to the surface as she remembered that every time she was there, something bad happened. Lincoln sensed her discomfort and rubbed her arm comfortingly.

"This is where our journey ends. If we go any further, archers will take us out," Lincoln said.

Monty and Miller sighed.

"Is there nothing we can do?" Monty asked. Lincoln shook his head.

"Just wait for her to come back. If they haven't killed her already."

Octavia looked at the sky and saw the sun was setting. "It'll be dark soon. We need to head back."

"I don't like leaving her behind like this," Miller said and moved closer to Monty. The exchange didn't go unnoticed by Lincoln and Octavia.

"You heard him. We have no choice. We just have to trust that she'll find a way out," Octavia said and started walking back towards the trees.

"We're going to have to make camp on the way. It'll be late by the time we reach camp," Lincoln added.

Nobody protested. They had been walking all day, and they could all use a break. Two hours later, it was almost pitch black, and they managed to find a secure area to set up camp.

Octavia went out in search of more firewood, and Lincoln noticed that she had been gone for a long time.

"I'm going after her," Lincoln said. "Keep watch out. This forest belongs to the creatures, not us."

He followed Octavia's footsteps and found her waiting for him some distance away.

"Why didn't you come back?" he asked and motioned at the pile of sticks by her feet. He also noticed that her jacket and gear were on the floor, and then he understood.

"Oh," he said with a smirk. "Octavia, we shouldn't." She moved closer to him and slid his vest off his shoulders and pulled his shirt off.

Her tongue dragged across his skin, and she looked up and said. "We won't be long."

He hoisted her up, and her legs wrapped around his waist. They kissed each other passionately, tongues massaging each other, as he lowered them to the ground. He used their jackets as a makeshift bed.

The ground was slightly lumpy and rocky, but they were too far gone to care. Her shirt stayed on, and he pulled off her pants low enough for them to be comfortable. He unzipped his and kissed her deeply while his fingers prepared her for his entry.

She moaned against his mouth as his fingers toyed with her clit. When she started whining, he moved on top of her and entered her. She clung to him as his member hit that spot that made her go crazy.

As she panted and moaned against him, he brought his hand down to help her along faster as he moved inside her. Seconds after he touched her, she climaxed hard around him.

He looked at her shocked, but she just smiled against his mouth.

"You're that good," she murmured. He thrust inside her a few more time, and this time they came together.

They hurriedly dressed and went back to the camp with their collected firewood. Neither Monty nor Miller made mention of their absence.

They woke up at dawn and gave themselves a moment to wake up before setting out. They ate some food from their packs, and Octavia sipped a mysterious liquid from her cup.

"Hey Octavia, what is that?" Monty finally asked, when he noticed her wince after taking each sip.

"None of your business," she said, and took another sip. The once sweet liquid now tasted bitter and made her gag. She hated it, but she needed to drink it. She could see Lincoln frowning out of the corner of her eye.

Miller laughed and shook his head, catching on immediately. "Don't worry, Monty. You'll never need it." He clapped his friend on the shoulder.

"Need what?" He lifted his head to look into the cup. He could smell a few familiar herbs wafting from the cup.

"It's so I don't get pregnant, Monty."

"Oh." Oh, that shut him up right away.

Octavia forced herself to down the rest of the concoction, nearly gagging at the taste. They packed up camp and started back to Camp Jaha.

Halfway into their journey, Octavia requested a rest stop. She got as far away from the group as possible and threw up all the contents in her stomach. She even dry-heaved for a few minutes afterward.

"Octavia…" Lincoln's worried voice washed over her.

"I'm fine," she groaned, but she really wasn't. She felt miserable, and she didn't want to believe why.

"We need to see Abby when we get back. I think you might be with child."

Octavia winced as her stomach rolled again. "You just had to say it, didn't you? You couldn't have said that I had food poisoning or the flu?"

Lincoln chuckled. "It's going to be fine. No sense in worrying until we know for sure."

"But we were careful," she groaned and rubbed her stomach. They had been. She had been drinking that concoction before they even began having sex, and Lincoln made sure to pull out the first few times. She wished that they had implanted her with birth control before they locked her way in prison.

"Not careful enough." He extended his hand to her, and she took it. "Come on, let's hurry back to camp so you can rest."

She leaned against him for the rest of the journey.

* * *

Abby wanted to cry when Lincoln informed her of Clarke's location, but she kept her head up and nodded.

"I understand," she said, pushing her feelings to the back of her mind. Her daughter, her progeny was missing, probably dead. There was no way the Grounders would let her live. She was too much of a liability.

Lincoln immediately sensed her distress. "Clarke is strong, Abby. She's still alive."

"You know, people keep telling me that, and I'm starting not to believe it," she admitted, her voice hard as steel. Lincoln nodded. There was no way for the rest of the camp to know that, but he knew his people.

"Lexa is smart. She wouldn't kill Clarke on sight, so there's a chance she's still alive. Clarke knows that, and she's going to use it to her advantage, probably try some angle. You have control of the mountain, so that's my best bet," he pointed out.

That seemed to the do the trick for Abby, and she let out a breath she had been holding.

"There's also a private matter I need to discuss," Lincoln continued. "I need a pregnancy test."

Abby's jaw almost dropped to the ground, but she settled for sighing and rubbing her temples. A pregnant teen was the last thing they needed. "Octavia's-"

Lincoln shook his head. "We don't know. Do you have a spare one?"

Abby nodded. "Yeah," she turned around and rifled through some drawers. After briefly reading the instructions, she handed the box over to him.

"Uh, have her pee on the stick, and the results should pop up in two to three minutes."

"Thank you, Abby. Could you please not tell anyone? We'd rather not have anyone know until we're ready to tell them," he requested. She nodded, and he left, passing by Kane on the way.

"I saw the group come back already, but Clarke wasn't with them. What happened?"

Abby just shook her head, no more tears for her. "She went to Lincoln's village. I have no idea why. We just have to wait and see what happens."

Kane took a step towards her, but Abby shook her head. "I'm fine. I have faith that she knows what's she's doing. I just need some air."

She pushed past him and went to go check on some of her patients.

Before she could leave, Kane said, "Abby, if you need to talk…"

"I don't," she said and turned her back on him. There was no time to mourn or talk. She needed to take care of her people.

She tried not to picture Kane's look of hurt and decided to focus on her patients. She survived her husband's death and the Ark coming to the ground. She'd survive this.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for the next one!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Yay! Another chapter for you all! Thank you so much for all of the reviews, follows, and favorites! I really appreciate it!

* * *

When Monty returned to camp with the group, he noticed that things had quieted down a bit. Everybody seemed to have adjusted to their roles, while some of the unwilling donor members were still recovering.

His own injuries were bothering him, but it was nothing compared to the guilt he felt. Jasper wouldn't look or talk to him still. They had been friends forever, but now they were like strangers. Even worse, it was like he was invisible to him.

Every time he saw Jasper's haunted look, he wanted to yell out the truth to him. It had been their friends' lives over the people of the mountain. After everything they had been through, he hoped Jasper would understand. The 100, or what was left of them, stood by each other. They had to pull the lever, even if it cost Maya her life.

It's not like the Mountain people were innocent. They lived behind closed walls while the Grounders had been forced to die or adapt to the radiation. Then they captured them, tortured them, and drained them of their blood for the mountain's use. No, the mountain people weren't innocent, but some of them did not deserve the fate they received.

"You know. I can hear your thoughts all the way from the other side of camp," Miller said as he sat down next to him. Monty shifted away. He would rather be alone with his thoughts.

"Aren't you supposed to be training with your dad?" he responded instead.

"Yeah, but I noticed you were over here moping. Come on, Monty. Where's the badass that braved the security even though it got your ass caught?"

That brought a smile to Monty's face. It had been a stupid plan, but he achieved his goal and got the signal out.

"He's taking a break from all the crazy. We deserve it, don't you think?" He was tired, so very tired. After everything, he really just wanted things to go back to normal. Whatever normal was since they had been in a fight for survival ever since they landed on this rock.

Miller shrugged. "True, but the idle mind is the devil's playground. Come shooting with me. It'll make you feel better. Shoot some rounds into a target."

Monty chuckled. "I could definitely use some of that," he said underneath his breath. Miller's eyebrow arched at that.

"What was that, Monty?"

Monty shook his head. "Nothing, let's go."

They both stood up and headed to the crude shooting rage, but something was on Miller's mind.

"Random question, but did you and Jasper ever…" Miller couldn't even finish his thought without mentally gagging. Jasper was nowhere near attractive, but people did have unique tastes.

"Date? Have sex? No floating way, Miller! He's my best friend, like family to me. Or atleast we were until this whole mess happened," Monty answered, vaguely waving in the direction of the mountain.

"He's not even close to being my type," he added under his breath.

"So what is your type? I never saw you hanging around any of the girls back when we were at the dropship. You were always with Jasper," Miller pointed out.

Monty stopped with a sheepish look on his face. "I don't really get attracted to people the same others do. There needs to be a deep emotional connection before it even crosses my mind."

"What about gender?" Miller asked. Monty knew what he was doing. He was trying to draw it out, but Monty was going to play with him first.

"I was born a guy, and that's how I identify," he said and tried to walk off, but a gentle hand on his arm stopped him. Miller's look was serious.

"No, but seriously Monty."

"Why do you want to know, Nathan?" Monty asked, fully facing him. Miller looks away for a minute and then steps closer to Monty, his eyes flicking to Monty's lips.

"Why do you think?" Their lips were inches away, and Nathan was looking into his eyes.

Miller didn't move forward until Monty gave him a little nod. The first touch was gentle and tentative. Miller's hand rested on Monty's arm, and he resisted the urge to bring him closer.

Monty increased the pressure of the kiss and cupped Miller's jaw as he eagerly returned the kiss.

Miller pulled them over to the side of the building, so no one could see them, and pressed Monty against the wall. He deepened the kiss and toyed with Monty's tongue.

Their bodies were pressed together as they made out. Nathan's hands itched to be inside of Monty's pants, but he resisted the urge. They weren't there yet.

Monty finally pulled away when he needed air, and he and Miller stared at each other while they trained to regain their breath.

Nathan stepped away and cleared his throat. "Um, the shooting range is this way."

Monty nodded and followed him, licking his lips for one last taste.

* * *

Lincoln stood with his back against a tree while he waited for Octavia to take the test.

After hearing her fumbling around for a few minutes, he called out, "Do you need help?"

"No, I'm fine!"

"You seem to be having a difficult time, and I can help," Lincoln offered. He actually wasn't sure he would be of much help. His hands were shaking, and his heart was pounding. He didn't even know which result to root for.

"I do not want your hand between my legs while I'm peeing. I'm just reading over the instructions. How accurate can this thing be anyway?"

Lincoln sighed. "You're stalling."

"Well, maybe I don't want to know."

"Octavia…" he groaned. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. He wanted to know the test results, but he could understand her apprehension. This isn't something they planned, and if it was positive, they would have some serious decisions to make.

"Fine!" A minute later, he heard liquid hitting the ground. He stayed on his side of the tree at her request. When she was done, she laid the stick on the ground and they sat down and waited for the results.

"I can't be pregnant. We did everything we could to prevent this," she said while fidgeting. He had to take her hands into his to calm her down.

Lincoln chuckled. "There was a woman in my village who was incapable of having a child. Some disease she had as a kid rendered her unable to conceive. Then when she got older, she falls pregnant. Complete surprise. Sometimes, it just happens."

Octavia groaned. "But why us?"

Lincoln kissed the top of her head. "We don't know that yet."

Octavia stared at the pee stick. "Actually, we do." She made no move to grab the stick, so Lincoln did it for her. The words "Pregnant" were prominently displayed on it.

Lincoln frowned. "It hasn't been three minutes."

"Well, I guess I really am." She dropped her head between her knees. "Fuck."

Lincoln was still staring at the stick like it was some foreign object. A baby. They were having a baby. Octavia couldn't be too far along, so he estimated that they had at least nine months to prepare.

"Lincoln?" Octavia tugged at his arm. "What do we do?"

It broke him out his trance. "We should go see Abby to have her confirm it."

"I meant about this little fetus thing inside me. Holy shit, what do we do?" She was starting to panic, and it wasn't helping his sanity either.

"I don't know. Let's just go to Medical first, and then we can figure this all out."

* * *

They made sure to drop by when Abby was alone. She took one look at their faces and knew.

"So you are pregnant," she said and looked Octavia up and down. She had been for implanting the girl before imprisoning her, but the Council didn't want to waste birth control on a person they would most likely float.

"Is there any way to double check? We were using protection," Octavia asked, and Abby arched her eyebrow and looked to Lincoln.

"Of course, Grounder version of birth control. How effective is it?"

"Usually very effective. Unplanned pregnancies in a village where most are taught to be warriors would be a bad thing," he said and handed the stick over.

"Well, I guess you two were just lucky then. Or there could have been moments where you forgot to use it," Abby said and brought out a machine and rolled it next to a gurney.

"This is an ultrasound machine. I need to examine Octavia first, and then we'll use this."

Octavia spent the next few minutes answering personal questions while Abby checked over her. When it came to use the ultrasound, Abby decided on topical rather than invasive. They had limited cleaning supplies, so it was the most sanitary decision.

Lincoln's eyes were glued to the screen while the image of Octavia's uterus came on. Abby moved the wand around, and a little blob came up on the screen.

"Wow," he said and reached out to touch it. Octavia saw it too, and her eyes welled up with tears.

"Well, Octavia, it looks like you are indeed pregnant. Four or five weeks, it seems."

Octavia's eyes widened. "No, that means I was pregnant when I was poisoned. Shit."

Abby put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I wouldn't worry too much. Babies can be surprisingly resistant sometimes, but we'll monitor you closely, just in case."

Octavia's head rolled over to face Lincoln. "What are we going to do?"

"What do you want to do?" His face was impassive, and she couldn't get a read on him. As much as she liked his stoicism, now was not the time for it. She was scared and terrified, and she needed some sort of emotional reaction from. She would gladly take anger or sadness from him…she just needed something!

"I don't know," was his honest answer. He was conflicted.

His love for Octavia was obvious, but a baby was something entirely different. This had definitely been something they wanted anytime soon. They were still growing as individuals and as a couple, and this was not the time to add a baby to the mix.

But this was still their baby. They hadn't planned on it, hell, they had done everything to make sure it didn't happen. Now, they had a decision to make.

His grip on Octavia's hand tightened as he stared at the screen again. He had no idea what they should do.

* * *

Abby took a sip of moonshine and sighed. The liquid was bitter and strong, but it soothed her nerves. Octavia was pregnant, her daughter was missing, and more than half of the remaining 100 had PTSD.

She put the drink aside since she still had some work to do. After assigning her assistant to look after the patients, she started on the paperwork in her bunk. It all became a jumbled mess once she started to work on it, and she gave up.

Instead she took more sips of her stash of moonshine. She knew it was a bad idea, especially since she had so many people depending on her, but she needed the release at the moment.

Marcus found her passed out an hour later and shook her awake.

"Abby, wake up! What happened?" he asked, but then he took a whiff of her. "Okay, you're drunk."

Abby stirred and let herself be lifted up and carried to her bunk. Kane sat on the bed next to her.

"Abby, what's going on? You're the Chancellor. What if someone saw you?"

"Then maybe they'd realize that the Chancellor is human too," she slurred and tried to cover herself with a blanket. Kane tried to help her, but she snatched it away from him.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked with a sigh. "I'm just trying to help."

"You're always trying to help!"

"Because I care about you, Abby!" he yelled back. She was silent for a moment, and then she turned away from him.

"Abby," he sighed again. "I care about you. You're my friend, if we even can be called that. I'm trying to help because I wasn't there for you before. Not when your husband died, and not when we sent those kids down here to die. I've tried to execute you many times, and I fucking hate myself for doing that."

"Well, it's not always about what you want, Kane. I need a partner in this, not someone who wants to earn my forgiveness. I need the ruthless bastard that was willing to do what it took to make sure we all survived," she mumbled into her pillow.

"I can't go back to that, Abby. Not after everything's happened."

Abby stared at the inside of her bunk. "Then, you're useless to me." It hurt her to even say that. It wasn't true, of course, but it paused the emotions that were swirling around in her brain. She couldn't think when he was around, and she needed him gone at the moment. She was dealing with too much to even think about she felt about him.

There was no response from Kane, but she heard him head out the door and close it behind him.

She tried to drift off to sleep. Tomorrow would only bring more problems.

* * *

Clarke woke up in her cell when someone came to fetch her. She looked around what she assumed would be her temporary home and briefly wondered if this was the same place they tortured Murphy.

A big gruff man helped her up and escorted her towards Lexa's hut. He let go of her once she was inside, and she saw Lexa pouring over the war map like she always did.

She stared up at the blonde once she heard her come in. "My scouts confirmed what you said. Your people are indeed at the mountain."

Clarke wanted to smirk, but she was too tired and thirsty to be snarky. "I told you. So do you accept my truce?"

"It seems more like a threat. How am I to know that your people won't wage war on us?" Lexa asked. "I left them there to die. There will be fallback from that. It would be foolish of me not expect it."

Clarke sighed. "Unlike you, we are tired of wars. We just want to live in peace and thrive. We have been through so much already. All we want is to be left alone."

While she knew that her fellow Arkers wanted peace, she wasn't sure that they would be willing to agree to this truce. There was hostility and resentment present in her own heart, and the wounds were fresh for others as well.

However, she knew her mother and Kane. They were done with wars and sacrificing others for in the name of survival. This was a rather simple solution that could benefit all parties involved. All she had to do was convince the rest of thArkers to go along with it.

Lexa scoffed. "You make it sound like we don't desire the same thing. Our lives have been nothing but wars. Mount Weather had a lot more power than you realized. They made deals with certain nations in exchange for the advantage. The Ice Nation, my personal favorite? Long before they killed Costia, they were hell bent on annihilating us. Why? Because Mount Weather said they would leave them alone."

Normally, Clarke would have sympathized with the Commander, but she was fresh out of empathy.

"Do we have an agreement or not?" she said through clenched teeth. Lexa's eyes flickered to the map and back at Clarke.

"Our leaders will vote on it. This is not something just only affects our village, Clarke. I cannot give you an answer right away."

Clarke shook her head. "Well, you all better come to a decision fast. My people know I'm missing. I left them enough clues to tell them I was coming here. Decide fast, Commander."

She turned on her heel and nodded at the big guy who escorted her back to her cell.

Lexa took her dagger and stabbed the map with it. This was not how she planned for things to go.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Another update! Thank you again for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! Enjoy!

* * *

Lincoln stared at Octavia while she slept soundly. With her top half sprawled across him, he looked down at her peaceful face. She was completely out of it. He initially worried that she wouldn't be able to sleep once they found out she was expecting.

His arm went around her back, and he pulled her closer. They were having a baby together.

At first, they didn't know what to do. But once Abby informed them of their options, they made the difficult decision to keep the baby and raise it. Octavia was scared, but he assured her that he would be there every step of the way.

He was terrified himself. Fate hadn't been in their favor lately, and he knew that this was just the calm before the storm. He was hoping Octavia would have a normal pregnancy, but there was something in the back of his mind since he found out.

While Abby hadn't mentioned it, she had definitely noticed it. Octavia was small. She didn't have much fat on her, and her bone structure was slim as well. And since babies took after their father's weight, their child would be a burden for her to carry. His arm tightened around her as he thought about it.

He didn't want to lose her to this pregnancy, but he was getting ahead of himself. Skinny women had uneventful births all the time in his village. That still did not ease the worry from his mind.

He dropped a kiss on her forehead and tried to get some sleep. He still had to work out and train in the morning. He hoped Octavia would be up to joining him. Abby said light physical activity was fine, and Octavia has already been doing it so the baby would be fine too.

It was Octavia who woke up several hours later. She moved away from him because she was too warm. Another symptom of this damn pregnancy, but she was glad to wake up to no nausea. It seemed more like an induced side effect than anything. As long as she avoided the triggers, she would be fine. Or so she hoped. There was plenty of time for that to change.

Turning to look at Lincoln, she could see the furrow of his brows. She reached out to smooth it out, but he caught her hand.

"Good morning," he mumbled. His sleepy eyes blinked a few times before focusing on her. He quickly scanned her face to see how she was.

"How are you feeling this morning?"

"Like crap, but that's not going to change for another month or two." While her stomach was fine, she was incredibly tired. Her brain demanded that she wake at dawn like she had been when she was Indra's Second, but her body just wanted to go back to sleep.

"Are you up to running this morning?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Yeah, it'll help me get my mind off of all this," she said while motioning to her abdomen.

Lincoln laughed and kissed her softly. "I don't think that's how it'll work, but whatever helps you."

Octavia rolled her eyes and sat up. "Come on. Let's get to it! I need to stay in shape, so I can bounce back after labor."

Lincoln chuckled but got dressed. He wanted to point out that it wasn't as simple as that, but he decided to stay quiet. They were still processing things. It would probably be awhile before they full understood and accepted that they would be parents in about nine months.

He wanted to be happy, but he was mostly worried. With the alliance broken, things were going to be difficult. They were exiled which meant that they were targets if they ever saw his people again. They wouldn't be safe.

It was best not to dwell on it too much. Instead he focused on Octavia who was wrapping her hair into a bun. It was sloppy, but it would hold while they worked out. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, one hand going to her stomach.

She stilled in his arms. "I'm scared, Lincoln."

"I know," he mumbled and buried his face against the crook in her neck. "I'm scared too, but we can do this."

"Do you really believe that?" she asked, her voice broke slightly.

"I have faith in us, Octavia. We will figure this out, somehow." He pressed a kiss to her jaw, and she sighed.

"Let's get going."

On their way out of camp, they saw Monty and Miller sitting and talking near a campfire.

* * *

"So are we going to talk about it?" Monty asked as he stared directly into the fire. Things had been slightly awkward with Miller after they kissed. Being so close to him while learning how to use a firearm was not a good combination. They didn't even get a chance to talk since they both had separate duties after the training.

Then when they had dinner together they were with others.

"Well since this is the first moment we've had alone together since it happened, yeah," Nathan said. He bit his lip as he thought about how he should proceed.

"I mean it was nice and everything, but-"

"Nice?" Nathan scoffed. "Damn, I need to work on my skills."

"No, I mean it was fine, and…" Monty said before shaking his head. That was no better.

Miller just laughed. "Relax, Monty. It's not like I'm asking you to move in with me already."

Monty hid his face in his hands. "This talk is not going well."

Nathan got up and sat closer to him. He lightly touched Monty on the shoulder, and Monty looked up at him, cheeks slightly red.

"I like you, Monty. And I want you to be comfortable, so if you're interested, you can make the first move," he said and briefly glanced at Monty's lips and then back up into his eyes.

"Good," Monty said and leaned in to capture Nathan's lips with his own. Mostly everyone was still asleep, so nobody was looking at the moment.

True to his word, Nathan let Monty lead. He mimicked the boy's movements and opened his mouth when Monty's tongue sought entrance.

He cupped Monty's cheek as the kiss deepened, and dug his nails into his free hand to keep himself from reaching out to touch him.

Monty's hand came around his neck and pulled him closer.

"So you kill my girlfriend and then get your own happily ever after?"

The two sprang apart to see Jasper's haunted face standing over them.

"Jasper," Monty sighed and reached out for him, but Jasper moved a step back with a sneer on his lips.

"Hey, ease up on him," Nathan said, his deep voicing turning Jasper's attention on him.

"How does it feel to have your family back when your boyfriend destroyed mine?" Jasper hissed. His hands balled up into fists, and Nathan put himself in between Jasper and Monty.

"It's not like that, Jasper. You are our family too. Yes, I am happy to see my father again, but I am not happy that you and Monty lost yours. Maya was our friend, but she wasn't family. Her people were draining us for their benefit. While she was against it, she still benefitted from it. All those blood transfusions. She wasn't that innocent," Nathan said, holding out his hand to protect Monty.

Jasper's eyes widened before he launched himself at them. Nathan took him down with ease and held him to the ground while he struggled.

"I get it, man. I really do, but Maya was not innocent. It was either us or them, and you're going to have to make peace with that," Nathan said before letting him go. As soon as he did, Jasper's fist connected with his jaw.

Monty pulled Nathan off of Jasper and got in between them.

"Your fight is with me, Jasper. Leave him out of it. Yes, I killed Maya. No, I'm not happy about it. No, I didn't enjoy it. But that doesn't change the fact that she's dead. I'm sorry."

Monty almost had tears in his eyes. He really was sorry for Maya's death, but it couldn't have been avoided. He knew that, but Jasper either didn't or refused to see it.

Jasper just shook his head. "Screw you both," he said and walked away.

Monty turned around and inspected Nathan's jaw. "Sorry, about that."

Nathan smirked. "It's nothing. Lincoln once knocked me out with a headbutt. I can take a measly punch from a grieving friend."

Monty gave him the once over. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Jasper, however, I don't know. I can't get through to him."

Nathan shrugged. "Maybe he needs more time."

"I don't think that's it. Something else is going on with him. It could be Maya's death coupled with his parents."

"I'm sorry that you both lost your families," Nathan said sincerely.

"Yeah, me too," Monty sighed.

* * *

Abby was working on the work shifts when Kane entered Medical. She looked up from her desk and motioned him over.

"Look, Abby, about last night-"

"I need you to go to Mount Weather," she interrupted. She looked him straight in the eyes. He was hurt, she could tell, but she didn't have time for feelings. She had everyone in the camp looking to her for answers and structure, and she couldn't do that with Kane hovering over her all the time.

He cared, and she was grateful for it. She even liked it, but she couldn't allow herself any personal feelings right now. Their people came first.

"Abby…"

She shook her head. "You're a good leader, Marcus. I need someone to lead the soldiers and civilians we have at Mount Weather. We need to see if it can be used as a second camp. We're going to be on Earth forever, and we're going to need the room to expand. See if it's a viable option."

He simply nodded. "I can do that. What about any remaining Reapers? I think the Grounders took them all, but there could be more that might return."

"If there are any left, capture and rehabilitate them. You just need to keep them alive while the drug leaves their system. It's simple enough. Maybe take one of our few scientists and see if you can reverse engineer a cure. It could come in handy with peace negotiations. If there aren't, we still need a way of establishing another truce."

Kane frowned. "Peace? With who? The Grounders? They left us to die, Abby."

Abby sighed. He was right, but the Grounders still outnumbered them. It would take them awhile to get the mountain up and running, and until then they needed a guarantee that they were no longer targets.

"I've given you your assignment. I'll be briefing the group going with you as well. Don't disappoint me, Marcus," she added. He almost smiled at that.

He was staring at her again, and she couldn't make herself look away. When he stepped closer to her, she stood up until they were eye to eye.

He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "Yes, Ma'am."

He turned away and left the room. Abby chewed on the inside of her cheek before calling out to him.

"Don't forget to say bye to me before you leave," she added. She got no response back, but she knew he heard her.

Her hand went to her cheek which was now warm.

* * *

Clarke made use of the rocks and leaves in her cell. She cleaned off a section of the floor and started sketching with a smooth stone. She used the leaves to add colors and shapes in certain places.

By the time Lexa showed up, she already had several pictures finished.

"Clarke, you have been summoned to join us in the talks," Lexa said. Her "commander" voice was on again, and it unsettled Clarke. When that voice was present, it usually meant something bad for her.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me that my people aren't targets, Lincoln and Octavia included," Clarke replied without even looking up.

She heard a young woman speaking sharply in Trigedasleng. The only word she understood was "Heda".

"That won't be necessary, Myriah. Clarke wants her people to live, so she'll cooperate. The clans are interested in this peace agreement, but we want to make sure that there will be no retaliation," Lexa said.

"Such as?" Clarke said and finally looked up. Lexa had a slight frown on her face, and she looked tired. It was nearly impossible to tell with her warpaint and commander gear on, but Clarke knew Lexa. Lexa didn't want another war either, and that's how Clarke knew that the meeting might turn out in her favor.

Lexa sighed. "Just come to the meeting. It will be painless."

"Fine," Clarke said and stood up. She followed the two women to the Commander's tent where everyone was waiting for her.

Lexa introduced her to each one of them and then motioned for her to speak.

"Look, we don't want another war. We just want to live in peace. If you all can stop using us as target practice, we won't use the weapons we found at the mountain. Everybody wins."

Indra stepped forward. "You cannot expect us to believe that they won't seek revenge."

"They won't. My people have suffered enough, and starting another war isn't even in our best interests. We don't want to go through this again. My co-leader, Bellamy, will agree with me, and the Chancellor is my mom."

There were mumblings among the group, and Lexa raised her hand in silence. Her eyes regarded Clarke carefully.

"While we won't seek revenge, I cannot guarantee that everyone will be warm and welcoming to the sight of any of you. You all left us on that mountain to be harvested, and we nearly didn't make it out. That's not something any of us are going to forget anytime soon," Clarke clarified.

None of the leaders looked too worried. It was expected that there would be hard feelings, and that was something the TriKru could easily deal with.

"Anything else you would like to add, Clarke?" Lexa asked while surveying her people, trying to gauge their reactions to the news so far.

"There are things that I need to speak to you about in private," she answered. Lexa looked over to her leaders and nodded at them.

"You may take your leave. After I'm finished here, I'll send Clarke back to her people with an escort to reestablish the alliance. If any of you have any objections, now would be the time to speak."

One of the women from the Ice Nation stepped forward. "Clarke of the Sky People, I would like to extend my gratitude on behalf of my leader. Despite what happened, my people are alive thanks to you and _heda._ Give Bellamy my thanks as well. He was the one who released me."

Clarke nodded. "You must be Echo. You saved his life. I won't forget that." The woman gave her a small smile, and then her impassive face was back on.

Indra said nothing, but Clarke didn't expect her to. She was loyal to her people only and good reason to distrust the Sky People.

"Then you are dismissed," Lexa said, and everyone filed out of the tent.

As the last person left, Clarke faced Lexa, with anger burning behind her eyes but pain in her heart.

Finally, they were alone.

* * *

A/N: Stay tuned for the next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I'm sorry that you guys went so long without an update! I took a break from writing for a couple weeks, and then I felt like writing again I was exhausted from working out in the wee hours of the morning. My schedule is going to get hectic in a few weeks, so updates might be only twice a month. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

Clarke wanted to be smug. Despite Lexa's betrayal, she still managed to rescue her people from the mountain and gain the upper hand. But as Lexa regarded her with her poker face, Clarke felt herself becoming furious again.

All those lives lost on the mountain. All because of Lexa. If she hadn't betrayed them, the innocents would still be alive. But Lexa made a deal with the devil, and now she was going to get burned.

Clarke slapped her, or tried to. Lexa easily caught her by the wrist, squeezing so that Clarke felt the strength beneath her fingers. Those blue eyes bore into her with such intensity that Clarke almost stopped breathing.

"I understand you're angry, but slapping the Commander is not the best way to start off a truce, Clarke." Lexa's tone isn't mocking. It's neutral, but there's a hint of something underneath. Much like before, when Lexa was trying to teach her the ways of being a leader.

Clarke nodded, and Lexa released her. As much as she hated to admit it, Lexa was right. Politics had no room for emotions, but this moment was not about politics. It was about them and what happened at the mountain.

"I trusted you, Lexa. I let that bomb drop on TonDC. I killed Finn to solidify our alliance. I even found a way to rehabilitate the Reapers. But you turned your back on me the moment you had a chance," Clarke nearly growled. Her hands clenched at her sides, eager to actually land a slap on Lexa's face.

Lexa's eyes scanned her briefly before stepping past Clarke.

Clarke turned so that she could follow her with her eyes. Lexa started pulling at her clothes. Undoing some buckles and ties so that her armor came off.

She laid each piece carefully on her throne, and then pulled her shirt off. Only her chest binding remained, and she was naked from the waist up.

Keeping her back to Clarke, Lexa swept her hair over her shoulder, giving Clarke the perfect view of her back. There was a bandage over her left shoulder blade.

"Lift it," Lexa instructed. Clarke swallowed nervously. This wasn't the time for this.

As she carefully took her steps towards Lexa, she was painfully reminded of the kiss they shared. It had been in a similar tent, but the situation was just as tense. Clarke furious with Lexa, and Lexa acknowledging that and offering some understanding. As her fingers brushed the bandage, she understood that this was difficult for Lexa.

Lexa wasn't as uncaring as she appeared, she merely chose to do what was best for her people over her happiness. It was smart but tragic in a way.

And now she was showing Clarke her vulnerability. Bared before Clarke, Lexa stood with tense shoulders as the blonde peeled the bandage off.

Clarke gasped as she saw the fresh markings on Lexa's flesh. She knew better than to touch them, but her fingers ghosted around them.

Underneath her others, there were six new kill marks on Lexa's skin. She assumed it meant to represent multiples of ten, but she couldn't be sure.

"Lexa…?"

"Leaving you and your people behind was not an easy decision on my heart, but it was the best way to get all of my people out without casualties on my side," Lexa began. Her voice was slightly more vulnerable, and Clarke knew it was a side that she didn't show to many.

"Guilt is weakness because it goes hand in hand with love, but there are ways to honor those you wronged for the sake of good. That's what I chose in case you and your people didn't make it out," the Commander confessed.

Clarke bit her lip, her emotions a whirl inside her. She didn't know what to think. Compassion was not something she expected from Lexa, not about this. Clarke quickly fixed the bandage and stepped away. Lexa donned on her clothes and armor once more, while Clarke took a moment to sort out her feelings.

"Why did you do it?" Clarke finally asked, shaking her head with tears in her eyes.

"I assumed that I would be responsible for their deaths. The least I could do was take ownership of that even though I was not the one holding the drill into their legs," Lexa responded. Her Commander tone was back, and it made Clarke narrow her eyes.

"No, you don't get to emotionally escape what you've done!" Clarke exploded. "There were children down there. Innocent people that had to be sacrificed because you betrayed us."

Lexa regarded her with a cool expression, and her stance straightened. "Those lives are not on me. It was you who made that decision. A decision you made to spare your people."

Clarke shook her head, knowing what Lexa was getting at. "No! You don't get to draw similarities. Flooding that mountain with radiation was the only way to get them out safely! You had other choices, but you chose the easiest."

Lexa's eyes flashed dangerously as she advanced on Clarke. "Easy? Have you heard nothing I said? What makes you think that decision was easy? Yes, I had other options, but I know you did as well."

There it was. The real reason behind Clarke's suffering. Lexa's eyes bored into hers, and Clarke had to look away before the guilt ate away at her.

"There were no other ways," she said, mostly trying to convince herself.

"Yes, there were, and you know it. But you chose the path that would ensure that all your people lived. Same as me. You might think of us as savages, but you and your people make the same hard choices that we do. That I do."

Clarke let Lexa's words wash over her, trying not to cry. It wasn't enough time. She needed more time to grieve all the lives lost since they landed on this forsaken planet. It wasn't just the mountain, it was everything else as well. The bomb, the torched skeletons at the dropship, Wells, Finn, Atom, Charlotte, her father, and everyone else they had lost along the way.

"I'm tired of fighting," she admitted. She lifted her watery eyes to meet Lexa's sympathetic ones. "I just want peace."

Lexa reached out to touch her arm briefly, long enough for it to be a comfort but short enough that it didn't bring about any negative feelings.

"Then I'll give that to you. We want it as well."

Clarke nodded and wiped at her eyes. "Then I guess we have a deal."

* * *

Octavia had managed to complete the morning run without any incidents. She noticed how Lincoln lingered a bit to make sure she was alright through the entire thing. She should have it found it endearing, but it actually annoyed her a bit.

"I'm fine," she muttered as they caught their breath near the entrance to the camp. His eyes were constantly roaming her body, checking to make sure she wasn't overexerting herself.

"I've been fine this entire time, Lincoln," she added, and he nodded. As they entered the camp, they saw Bellamy heading over to where the delinquents were hanging out.

"What are we going to tell your brother?" Lincoln asked, wincing slightly. He did not wish to be part of that conversation, but he would be there if Octavia needed the support.

"Nothing for now," she said before she took a swig from her waterskin. "He doesn't need to know. Nobody does. It'll be awhile before I'm showing, and anything that can happen between now and then."

The nonchalant way she said it made Lincoln worry. He was still coming to terms with the whole idea of becoming a parent, but the way she spoke concerned him. Did she not want the baby? He wasn't going to force it on her.

He took her hand in his and kissed it. She looked up at him in surprise, and saw that his eyes were quite sincere.

"If you don't want to do this, Octavia, you don't have to go through with it. I will support whichever direction you want to go in. I mean that. I know we haven't had much time to take it in, but I want you to be sure about this."

Octavia stared at him for a long time before pulling her hand out of his. "I know what I'm doing Lincoln, and I know it's not going to be easy. I've made my decision. You don't need to talk down to me."

Slightly fuming, she strode towards the gate. Lincoln jogged to catch up to her. Before she could reach the gate, he moved in front of her and took her face in his hands.

"Octavia," he implored. "Talk to me. Please." He could see the warring emotions in her eyes. She was scared, confused, hurt, and pissed off. None of those a good combination for her impulsive nature.

"I need some time to myself," she said. "I'll bunk with Bellamy tonight. You can have the tent to yourself." She pulled herself out of his arms, and this time he let her go.

As she walked away, he said, "Ignoring this isn't going to make it go away, Octavia. Talk to me when you're ready."

She didn't even turn back to show that she heard him. Instead she marched onto camp, her hands shaking slightly.

Truth was, she didn't know what she was doing. A child was a big thing, and she had no idea how to handle it. Instinct told her that this wasn't the right time. She was still young and still had so much to learn about herself.

But in her heart, she knew that she could do this if she tried hard enough. She and Lincoln had survived the past month, they could survive this. She had achieved so much between first arriving almost two months ago and now a survivor of a terrible war.

She had her battle scars all over, much like Lincoln, and she wore them with pride. Maybe this was just another scar to add the collection. Sacrifice her own future to bring this baby into the world now. Her mom had done the same with her. What was the difference?

She rubbed her stomach absentmindedly as she approached her brother.

He frowned when he saw her. "Something wrong, O?"

She froze, and her hand fell to her side. "Um, no. Just hungry. Can I bunk with you tonight? It's been awhile since we spent some time together."

He looked over her shoulder, and she knew that he was looking for Lincoln.

"He's fine with it," she added with a smile. Bellamy smiles back and brings her in for a hug.

"Of course you can. And you can tell me all about how you got to be Indra's Second while I was away. I'm proud of you, O."

She hugged him back fiercely; glad to be in his presence again after spending so much time apart. "I love you, big brother."

He rubbed her back soothingly as she began to cry. "We're going to be okay, O. We will. We can get through this."

She knew he needed this hug as much as she does. They didn't speak about his part in the mountain. Octavia didn't want to think about it.

Instead, they just hugged it out in the middle of camp. They didn't draw any attention since most of the camp was in a similar state. Everybody wanted to move past the incident and start on their new lives.

* * *

"Do you think Lincoln would train us how to fight if we asked?" Monty asked. Learning how to accurately shoot guns was one thing, but when they had been captives in the mountain, hand to hand would have been useful. Especially when he got caught outside the security room.

Miller shrugged as he stretched out on the ground. He moved closer to the fire to stay warm.

"Do we really need it? I don't think we'll be getting into any more trouble anytime soon. Plus I'm sure he has his hands full with Octavia and being in exile again. But you could always ask," Nathan replied.

Fighting was the last thing on Nathan's mind, surprisingly. He had done too much in the past month and a half, and he needed a break. Going from one dangerous situation to another could do that to a person. Plus, he and Bellamy were still trying to figure out where the remaining delinquents should go.

"I guess so, but we can't always count on the 'adults' to help us. I mean, they did send us down here not knowing what to expect," Monty pointed, and Nathan nodded. He had a point.

"Well, Bellamy and I have been talking, and we're still trying to figure out what to do about that whole situation. Any ideas?" Nathan asked.

Monty sat back and thought for a moment. "I don't know. We're protected here, but these are the people who jettisoned us off the Ark. Granted, we are criminals, but it was cruel. But we did do well on our own, minus the war with the Grounders," he said with a smirk.

Nathan laughed, a rare sight. Monty swore he saw a sparkle in his eye.

"We have time to figure it out, but we do need to start brainstorming. Camp is going to get crowded real fast, especially once the shock and everything wears off. We need a backup plan," Nathan pointed out, and Monty nodded.

Monty stretched out beside Nathan, and they just enjoyed the warmth of the fire together.

* * *

Abby was doing a checkup on Raven when Bellamy entered Medical. With a curt nod towards Raven, he approached Abby.

"I heard you were sending another team to Mount Weather tomorrow. Do you need any assistance?" he asked.

"Yes, she does," Raven said with a wince when Abby pressed against a sore spot on her leg. Abby inspected it, looking to see how the other drill sites were healing.

"You're not going, Raven. You have bone fractures where they drilled into your leg."

"So does everyone else!" Raven exclaimed with a stubborn look. "You need my help with their electrical system. You can take Wick, but he's not as good as me."

Abby smirked at that and released Raven's leg. "Even so. You have one paralyzed leg, and the other needs time to heal. We can take Wick if he's up to it, but you can't go."

Raven groaned and looked to Bellamy. "Tell her that I can go. I'm fine, and they're going to need my help."

Bellamy did his own visual inspection of Raven. Her good leg was bruised up, and she had dozens of cuts and scratches that were still healing. But she was a tough one, so he didn't really object.

"If you can find someone to carry you or help you along, and I don't see why you can't go. But it is an eight hour walk. Are you sure you're up for it?"

Raven rolled her eyes and eased herself off the gurney. Her legs buckled underneath her weight, and Bellamy and Abby were quick to catch her.

"You're not going, Raven," Abby said more firmly, and Raven yanked herself out of Abby's reach with a glare.

"I don't take orders from you, Abby. And you need my help down there. I know way more about their system than he does, and I can improvise a lot better. I'm going," Raven snapped.

Bellamy had to hide the smile from his face as he watched the two women scowl at each other.

"I'll go with her," he offered, hoping to ease the tension. "I can carry her, and I'll make sure she doesn't over exert herself. I'll leave Miller and Lincoln in charge while I'm gone."

Raven squeezed Bellamy's arm in gratitude. "See! He can take me. It's settled."

Abby wanted to object, but she knew Raven wouldn't listen to her anyway. She learned the hard way last time. "Fine. She can go with you, but I'll have to show you what to check for if she injures either leg."

"Kane will be leading the team, so follow his instructions. The soldiers should keep you guys safe in case anything happens," she added.

"Good. Now, I need to get back to my workshop. I have to pack everything," Raven said. Bellamy helped out her out the Medical station while Kane entered it.

Abby took one glance at him and sighed. He wasn't going to be happy about the new additions to his team.

* * *

A/N: Stay tuned for the next one!


End file.
